It’s time to check-out the most popular cat names for this year. Okay, let’s start with some popular Italian names from Daily Italian Words. This is lo svago — fun!
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2019
Pallina (female) Pallino (male) means small ball, like a toy, in Italian
Luna, or moon in Italian. Like the moon, cats are mysterious, beautiful and nocturnal.
Birba is perfect for your mischievous kitten. Italian adults call mischievous or naughty children birba.
Trilly (also spelled Trilli) is the Italian name for Tinkerbell, the beloved character in Peter Pan. Oddly enough, it’s very popular in Italy. Guess Tinkerbell in any language is just so cute.
Bella, Italian for beautiful and popular in Italy and around the world.
My favorite is this one: Briciolina (female ) Bricionlino (male). They are affectionate derivatives from briciola, meaning crumb (usually said of bread or a cookie) or a small amount of something. Really cute.
STUPENDO!
Some more popular 2021 cat names
One of the sources for the list of the most popular cat names is from the Cat Fanciers Association, an organization with the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats. Then there’s an actual site called FindCatNames.com, plus other random searches. But the consensus seems pretty consistent.
To conclude the Italian favorites, Rocky is a diminutive of the Italian name Rocco for your wise guy cat.
Oliver is on just about every list of the most popular cat names. And, Oliver just happens to be the #3 most popular male baby name in the United States.
Simba is Swahili for lion, made famous from The Lion King. Nala is another popular name from The Lion King, for a girl cat.
Chloe has been a popular female kitty name for several years. Cute yet sophisticated.
Max is a name that remains on the list year after year. Our friend and cat sitter of many many years had a beloved cat Max. Max continues to be a cool and favorite name.
Girl cat names like Lucy and Lily continue to be popular. They’re cute and sweet, and are perfect for cute, sweet kittens.
Sophia is really popular for both babies and cats. It’s a pretty and elegant name.
The 1986 Japanese film The Adventures of Milo and Otis introduced the world to the now popular name Milo. In the movie, Milo was an orange tabby, his pal Otis was a pug.
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2019
Tiger is obvious for your striped orange tabby. According to the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) breed registry, Tiger is the 5th most popular cat name in China. I prefer Tigger, from Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s goofier — although no cat would ever admit to being goofy, some are endearingly so.
Coco is big in the USA, but even bigger in…China, where, according to the CFA, it is the third most popular name for cats registered with the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association.)
Charlie had been a very popular name in the United States for late 19th century human parents. Then it lost favor. However, Charlie has been revived as a popular cat name.
Smokey is used for grey cats, and that’s about it. Unless you’re a Highway Patrol guy.
It’s popular for some people to name their grey cat Shadow because he/she follows them around. I don’t get it — wouldn’t it be better for a black cat who follows you around?
Mia is like a little meow.
Jack is a name like Max: determined, confident, as if ready to pounce. People once used Jack as a diminutive of John, but eventually it gained ground on its own. Over the centuries (it’s an old name) it continually went in and out of favor. As for your cat, Jack is a name of choice for cat parents.
Those who have an inclination to baby talk to your cat may lapse into “precious Angel,” “sweet Angel” or something like that. Hence Angel is popular. Not a criticism, in fact, totally acceptable.
Oreo is popular with people who live with black & white cats. A delectable name. Another food related name popular for cats is Biscuit. Not really sure why.
Once, Felix was a popular name for boys. It’s Latin meaning lucky, happy, successful. The name isn’t common anymore, but for cats, it has been for over a century. Thanks to the cartoon character Felix the Cat, created by Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer and Joe Oriolo. Felix the Cat was first seen in 1919, in Feline Follies. Since then, Felix is a popular and loved name full of fun, smarts and pizazz. My Kitty Care loves Felix!
A relatively new popular name is Willow. If I had a Ragdoll cat, I’d consider naming him/her Willow — droopy, like a Willow tree.
Names like Molly, Sammy or Gracie are both popular and personable.
Gizmo is something undefinable, but has a presence. Possibly inspired from the 1980s movie, Gremlins. This name makes me think of a cat who runs around a lot — not for any particular reason, you just know your cat Gizmo is around.
I like the name Jasper, and apparently so do many others. It has a friendly authority to it. Some cat parents may name their cat Jasper because the gemstone Jasper, is a spotted gemstone that might remind you of your cat’s coat or eyes.
Bailey is popular as a drink, and now as a cat name. If your cat is the color of the Irish cream beverage, Bailey may come to mind.
Loki is a rascally demigod from Norse mythology, known for making trouble. Absolutely applicable to many a cat.
Sasha is a Russian nickname for girls named Aleksandra, If your cat’s furry brow always looks Dostoevsky serious, perhaps Sasha is a good choice.
Simon and Toby aren’t as popular for people anymore, but are for cats. Toby is derived from the original Tobias, going back to the Old Testament. One of my cats is a Toby. He’s such a Toby. He just is.
photo by shari smith dunaif ©2020
Cloe is a classic reference to Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, a culture known to revere cats. Cleo is great for a dignified, royal cat. And just about any cat can be viewed as royal.
Peanut is popular but ought to be reserved for a small, so adorable you want-to-eat-them cats. Especially if they have a nutty personality.
Finally, there’s Leo. It’s Latin for lion, is the fifth sign of the Zodiac, and even has it’s own Leo the Lion constellation. It’s such a loaded name, of course it’s understandable that it’s popular, even in China.
Found this list from 2018. And guess what, it looks mighty familiar.
- Luna
- Oliver
- Bella
- Lucy
- Charlie
- Chloe
- Leo
- Max
- Lily
- Milo
And look at this one: popular cat names from 2016
All great names, but I think we need to add new fun ones…2022?
